Tag Archives: pleochroism

Pleochroic Sapphire

Posted on September 30, 2011 by mrahm

Like most gemstones, sapphire is doubly refractive and like many doubly refractive stones, it generally shows pleochroism. Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon that is a direct result of double refraction…when a light beam splits and travels in different directions at … Continue reading →

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Pleochroism vs. Color Zoning

Posted on March 29, 2011 by mrahm

Yesterday, I wrote about pleochroism and how this optical phenomenon is often misinterpreted as color zoning. As I mentioned, pleochroic gems show different colors when viewed from different crystal directions. So as you move the gem around, the same area … Continue reading →

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Pleochroic Aquamarine

Posted on March 28, 2011 by mrahm

Like most colored gemstones, Aquamarine is doubly refractive, meaning light entering the crystal is split into different directions at different speeds due to differences in the atomic structure of the crystal. Rarely is double refraction visible to the naked eye, … Continue reading →

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